588 China in African Literature (with Duncan Yoon) | My Last Book with Katherine Howe

The History of Literature

Jacke Wilson

History, Books, Arts

4.6 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 1 February 2024

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Many readers today are familiar with the impact that Western countries have had on Africa, as told through the eyes of writers in both Africa and the West. But what about China and its growing influence in Africa? How have twentieth- and twenty-first-century African writers viewed the impact of Chinese businesses and culture on their homeland? In this episode, Jacke talks to NYU professor Duncan M. Yoon about his book China in Twentieth- and Twenty-First Century African Literature, which unpacks the long-standing complexity of exchanges between Africans and Chinese as far back as the Cold War and beyond. PLUS Katherine Howe (The Penguin Book of Witches, The Penguin Book of Pirates, A True Account: Hannah Masury's Sojourn Amongst the Pyrates, Written by Herself) discusses her choice for the last book she will ever read. Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/donate. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at www.thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The History of Literature Podcast is a member of the Podglamorate Network and LIT Hub Radio.
0:07.0	Hello, we think we know everything, don't we?
0:13.0	Or at least we know what we know and we know what we don't know.
0:17.0	And we think we've considered everything under the sun
0:20.0	with the frequency of the stars in the sky.
0:23.6	And then something comes along that reminds us
0:26.9	that even familiar questions have plenty of new angles.
0:32.0	Literature fans and former English majors are no doubt familiar with the role of Europe and the United States in the Africa of the 20th and 21st centuries.
0:42.0	These contacts have been well chronicled by both Western
0:46.3	and African writers, and much discussed in critical works and classrooms.
0:53.4	But how about the long-standing complexity of exchanges between Africans and Chinese?
1:02.1	How has that been reflected in African literature? I had no idea. I had never thought about it.
1:08.0	But as soon as I heard of this topic, I thought that is something worth knowing more about it.
1:15.0	And so I was glad to hear from Duncan Eun of New York University and the
1:19.5	Cambridge University Press that he has written a book covering just that topic.
1:26.8	He joins us for a fascinating discussion today on the history of literature.
1:33.0	Okay, here we go, lots to cover and I think we just start right from the beginning with Duncan Eun.
1:44.4	So let's get straight to it.
1:45.6	A little bit of housekeeping first, actually.
1:47.4	My thanks to all the new patrons at Patreon.com slash literature.
1:52.2	And those of you kind-hearted souls who have donated at
1:55.4	History of Literature.com slash donate. You're helping to keep the lights on here at the Jack Wilson Studios and we do appreciate it
	...

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